Saturday, May 12, 2012

Community Service

Students from Trinity Lutheran College in Everett, WA.

The
monastic community welcomed students, along with their campus chaplain,
Rev. Erik Samuelson, to the monastery on Friday. They traveled from
Trinity Lutheran College, in Everett, WA. to perform a community service
project for the monastic brotherhood. After helping the monks clear
trails of fallen trees and branches, left over from the Winter storms,
they joined us for a meal in the trapeza, and attended Vespers in the
monastery's Protection of the Holy Virgin Church.

As
if their labors on behalf of the brotherhood were not enough, they
presented the monastery with a generous contribution from the
Associated Student Body. It gives me hope for our country's future, when
I meet such fine young people, and I ask God's blessings upon them, and
the community of Trinity Lutheran College.

With love in Christ,Abbot Tryphon

Click on photo to enlarge

Saturday May 12, 2012 / April 29, 2012

Fourth Week of Pascha. Tone three.

Synaxis of New Martyrs of Butovo (movable holiday on the Saturday after the Pascha).
Nine Martyrs at Cyzicus: Theognes, Rufus, Antipater, Theostichus, Artemas, Magnus, Theodotus, Thaumasius, and Philemon (3rd c.).
Venerable Memnon the Wonderworker of Corfu (2nd c.).
Venerable Nektarius of Optina (1928).Venerable Amphilochius of Pochaev (1970).
Martyrs Diodorus and Rhodopianus, deacon, at Aphrodisia in Anatolia (284-305).St. Basil, bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro (Serbia) (1671).
Saint John of Romania.
Holy Martyrs of Lazeti (Georgia) (17th-18th c.).
Venerable Secundellas the Deacon, in Gaul (Gaul).
Apostles Jason and Sosipater of the Seventy (Greek).
St. John, metropolitan of Thebes, the new merciful one (12th c.) (Greek).
St. John Tolaius, patriarch of Alexandria (482).
St. Nicetas, abbot of Synnada (9th c.).
St. Arsenius, archbishop of Suzdal (1627).
New Martyr Stanko the Shepherd of Montenegro (1712).
St. Nicephorus of Sebaze (9thc.).
St. Endelienta (Endellion), nun-recluse of Cornwall.

You can read the life of the saint in green, by click on the name.

Our
thanks and gratitude to all of you who have contributed to the
monastery through your generous contributions. May God richly bless you
for your kindness, and support, of this monastery.With love and blessings,Abbot TryphonDonations can be made directly to the monastery through PayPal, or you may send donations to:

Acts 12:1-11

Herod’s Violence to the Church

12 Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. 2 Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. 3 And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. 4 So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.

Peter Freed from Prison

5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6 And
when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping,
bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the
door were keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him,
and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and
raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. 8 Then
the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so
he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” 9 So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When
they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the
iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own
accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the
angel departed from him.

11 And
when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that
the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod
and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”

John 8:31-42

The Truth Shall Make You Free

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Abraham’s Seed and Satan’s

37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.”

39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.”

Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 You do the deeds of your father.”

Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.”

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.